Middle East

Iran Says War Unlikely as Trump Warns He May 'Finish the Job'

This is Beirut 01:35 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Donald Trump Benjamin Netanyahu US Secretary of State Lebanon Gulf

Oil prices tumbled Wednesday on hopes of a US-Iran peace deal, even as President Donald Trump warned he may have to "finish the job" and Tehran said its forces were still "lying in wait with full magazines." The mixed signals underscored the fragile state of talks aimed at ending a Middle East war that has shaken global energy ...

Israel Unveils First KC-46 “Gideon” Tanker Aircraft

This is Beirut 27/05 16:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon Israel Palestine United States

The Israeli Air Force received its first Boeing KC-46 “Gideon” aerial refueling and transport aircraft on Wednesday during a ceremony held at Nevatim Airbase, marking a major milestone in Israel’s long-range military capabilities and strategic air power modernization. The ceremony was attended by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and ...

Hezbollah Says Clashed With Israeli Troops North of Lebanon's Litani River

This is Beirut 27/05 13:50 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Hezbollah Lebanon Netanyahu IDF

Hezbollah said its fighters clashed with Israeli forces in a town north of the Litani river on Wednesday, a day after Israel's military said it was expanding its ground operations. Israel intensified the scope of its strikes on south and east Lebanon on Tuesday despite a ceasefire, killing at least 31 people, Lebanese authorities said, as ...

IRGC Downplays Chances of Renewed War With U.S. Amid Fragile Iran Ceasefire Talks

This is Beirut 27/05 12:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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A senior Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) official said Wednesday that the likelihood of renewed war with the United States remains low, while warning that Tehran remains fully prepared to respond militarily to any new attack. “The possibility of war is low because of the enemy’s weakness,” Mohammad Akbarzadeh, deputy ...

AnalysisHezbollah’s Constitutional Contradiction

Kaline Antoun 27/05 12:01 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Hezbollah Lebanon Taif Constitution Israel

In a statement issued on the centennial of the Lebanese Constitution, Hezbollah presented itself Monday as a defender of constitutional legitimacy, national unity, and Lebanese sovereignty, while simultaneously reaffirming that armed “resistance” remains a protected and legitimate right beyond any governmental decision. The statement ...

Op-edIsrael Seeks To Defeat Hezbollah Again, What Might Be Different this Time?

Seth J. Frantzman 27/05 10:15 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Hezbollah Israel Benjamin Netanyahu US Secretary of State Lebanon

Facing an increasingly deadly threat from Hezbollah’s first-person view (FPV) drones, Israel is back on the offensive in Lebanon. Since the night of May 25, the Israel Defense Forces have launched large-scale airstrikes across southern Lebanon while pressing ground advances. As Israel once again turns to military force, amid U.S.-Iran talks, the ...

Israeli Forces to Expand Past ‘Yellow Line’ As Operations in Lebanon Intensify

This is Beirut 26/05 19:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Lebanon Benjamin Netanyahu Amal Hezbollah Israel

The Israeli Army has started to operate on the ground past the “Yellow Line” in southern Lebanon on Tuesday as Israeli officials express their intent to intensify operations against Hezbollah amid persistent threats. According to AFP, citing an Israeli military official, the Israeli Army began to expand its operations in southern ...

AnalysisBehind Netanyahu’s Calculus on Lebanon Escalation Amid Potential U.S.-Iran Deal

Claudia Groeling 26/05 19:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Benjamin Netanyahu Lebanon Donald Trump Hezbollah Israel

Israel launched a widespread wave of overnight strikes across southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley, targeting more than 100 Hezbollah sites, according to the Israeli military. The IDF said the strikes hit weapons storage facilities, command centers, observation posts, and infrastructure allegedly used by Hezbollah militants to coordinate attacks ...

Trump to Meet Cabinet at Camp David on Iran

This is Beirut 26/05 18:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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U.S. President Donald Trump is set to hold a rare cabinet meeting at the Camp David presidential retreat on Wednesday as Iran talks near a critical point, a White House official told AFP. The choice of the secluded retreat in the Maryland mountains -- which Trump hardly ever visits, in a break with previous presidents -- reflects the sensitive ...

Iran Media Says Negotiators Seek $24bn Asset Release in U.S. Deal

This is Beirut 26/05 14:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Iranian media said Tuesday that Tehran's negotiators were seeking the release of around $24 billion in frozen assets abroad as part of a process aimed at ending the war with the United States. The report by Tasnim news agency came as a top Iranian delegation was in Qatar and after Tehran said it was finalizing a 14-point framework for a deal on ...

Iran Executes Man Over Cooperation with Israeli Spy Agency

This is Beirut 26/05 13:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Iran Human Rights USA Israel Iran Regime

Iranian authorities on Tuesday executed a man after convicting him of cooperation with and espionage for Israel's Mossad spy agency, the judiciary said. "Gholamreza Khani Shakarab was executed on charges of intelligence cooperation and espionage in favor of the Zionist regime," the judiciary's Mizan Online website reported, adding that his ...

Rubio Says Iran Deal Still Days Away as U.S. Balances Diplomacy and Military Pressure

This is Beirut 26/05 11:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Donald Trump Benjamin Netanyahu Lebanon Gulf Hezbollah

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that reaching an agreement with Iran may still require “a few days.” His remarks came one day after U.S. forces carried out what Washington described as defensive operations in southern Iran. According to Rubio, the strikes targeted missile launch sites as well as vessels allegedly ...